Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Waking up groggy from sleep, Shen Dongqing instinctively opened the system mall, about to use the Master Chef Card, until he saw there was only one card left and snapped fully awake—the food safety inspection was already over.

No work today!

Thinking of this, Shen Dongqing felt drowsiness surge back. He yawned, and out of the corner of his eye noticed a small red dot on the system page, but he didn't have the energy to check it, hugging his blanket and falling back into a deep sleep.

He slept for a long time, not waking until noon at twelve o'clock.

Shen Dongqing opened his eyes, feeling his mind exceptionally clear, the faint sluggish fatigue from before bed completely gone.

"Looks like the past four days really wore out my brain," Shen Dongqing guessed. He'd been able to feel the fatigue two days ago, but hadn't felt particularly tired since then—he'd thought his brain had adapted.

Now it seemed it wasn't adaptation, but rather the problem being temporarily suppressed. After over ten hours of sleep, his brain had finally recovered to its optimal state.

Having skipped breakfast, Shen Dongqing felt a bit hungry. He got up and headed to the kitchen to make himself something to eat.

Without the enhanced sense of smell and taste from the Master Chef, his basic cooking skill was still sufficient.

As soon as he reached the kitchen, Shen Dongqing caught the smells wafting from other households' kitchens. He instinctively began analyzing them, eventually determining that the ingredients his neighbors had bought were all decent quality—no food safety issues.

Shen Dongqing froze, quickly opening the system mall, and discovered that the Master Chef Card he thought he'd used was still there—he hadn't used it at all.

Then how could he distinguish so many smells?

Shen Dongqing suddenly noticed the small red dot at the edge of the system mall. He tapped it, and a message appeared.

"Your use of the Master Chef Card has attracted the attention of the Culinary God System's host. They expressed admiration for your actions and gifted you Super Smell. The gift has been automatically received."

The supplier of the Master Chef Card?

Shen Dongqing's mind went blank for a moment before he processed it.

He'd always assumed these skill cards were provided by the system, but according to this message, these skills might be placed in the system mall by other system hosts to sell or rent out.

As for there being other system hosts, Shen Dongqing wasn't particularly shocked by that—after all, he had a system, so it would be strange if other worlds didn't have them either.

But can a host's own abilities be put up for sale?

Shen Dongqing instinctively glanced at his Criminal Attraction Aura, then scoured the entire system panel, but couldn't find any button for consignment.

Staring at that message, Shen Dongqing found it hard to calm down. He tapped the message repeatedly, trying to reply with a thank you, but couldn't find any way to respond. It was like being forced to play a single-player game!

Shen Dongqing let out a helpless sigh. Back when he read novels, he used to find talking systems annoying, but now that he had his own system, he realized having one that could talk was much better—otherwise he had to figure everything out on his own.

Though he hadn't found a consignment button, Shen Dongqing wasn't too anxious. Since other hosts could use it, he was a legitimate host too, so he'd definitely be able to use it eventually—he just hadn't met the system's requirements yet.

Most importantly, Shen Dongqing no longer particularly resented the Criminal Attraction Aura.

During these days of food safety inspections, Shen Dongqing had noticed the Criminal Attraction Aura was also doing its work—otherwise he wouldn't have encountered so many violating establishments so easily.

Jiang Chao and the others had been by his side, and by the end of the inspections, they'd started doubting how negligent they'd been before—how had so many restaurants violating food safety laws been right there without them noticing?

The aura was quite useful when he needed it. Still, between having a choice and having no choice, he'd prefer the former.

...

Having received a gift, Shen Dongqing was in high spirits. He decided not to cook at home and instead went out to eat, while also contacting the driving school to see if he could schedule lessons.

The weather was hot now, but it might get even hotter later, so it was better to start driving lessons now.

Before heading out, Shen Dongqing put on a mask—one to block the sun, and two to somewhat filter the smells.

He'd developed a habit of analyzing over these past few days, causing his brain to automatically analyze whatever he smelled. In just a short while, he'd already analyzed what all his neighbors up and down the building had eaten. If he went out like this, he'd be analyzing everywhere he went.

To give his brain a rest, Shen Dongqing had to resort to physical means.

Strolling out, Shen Dongqing noticed that many restaurants near his home had closed—all ordered to suspend operations for rectification—so the ones still open were doing decent business.

Shen Dongqing picked the most satisfactory one and went in. The staff member looked at him with slight confusion when they saw his mask.

Shen Dongqing casually ordered two dishes before taking off his mask.

After relaying the order to the kitchen, the staff member turned back and saw Shen Dongqing's face—that face looked familiar!

"Hey, why are you spacing out instead of working?" A colleague came out, saw the staff member not working, and reminded them.

"No, sis, that customer—does he look familiar to you?" The staff member pointed at Shen Dongqing cautiously.

The colleague glanced at Shen Dongqing, drew in a sharp breath, and immediately ran back to the kitchen.

"Boss, that Shen Dongqing is here!" The colleague wanted to shout but was afraid Shen Dongqing would hear, so their voice came out all twisted.

But the moment that name came out, the chef cooking turned his head, eyes wide: "He's checking us out?"

"Doesn't seem like it—he's alone, no one from the market supervision bureau with him." The colleague recalled, shook their head, and guessed, "Yesterday's livestream said the inspection was temporarily over. Maybe he's just here to eat?"

"Serve him carefully. I'll go over once I finish cooking this." The boss said, turning back to focus on the wok.

He wasn't particularly panicked—after all, he was both the owner and the chef managing the kitchen. He was confident in the quality of his ingredients. Even if Shen Dongqing was strict, he couldn't fabricate problems where there were none.

Shen Dongqing was unaware of the conversation between the boss and staff. He only noticed that the staff at this restaurant were diligent about cleaning. If they could maintain this level of cleanliness and the food tasted decent, this could make his list of go-to restaurants.

The boss came out carrying one of the dishes Shen Dongqing had ordered. Seeing Shen Dongqing actually sitting out there, despite his confidence, he still felt a bit nervous.

"Anything else?" The dish had been served but the chef hadn't left, so Shen Dongqing looked up and asked.

"Nothing, just... I wanted to ask your opinion on this dish. I'm the chef who cooked it." The boss couldn't exactly say he wanted to see if Shen Dongqing would find any food safety issues, so he forced an excuse.

Shen Dongqing didn't notice the excuse—the man's heavy kitchen smoke smell made it clear he'd been cooking the whole time.

Shen Dongqing picked up a piece of guobaorou with his chopsticks. It was sweet and sour on entry, the sauce ratio well-balanced, but...

"Your heat control is off. This dish isn't one you make often—you need more practice. Next time, raise the oil temperature higher and don't make the batter so thick." Shen Dongqing set down his chopsticks, feeling he'd ordered the wrong dish.

After speaking, Shen Dongqing realized that perhaps because he had basic cooking skills as a foundation, the Master Chef Card had essentially given him master classes—five days straight of them. He wasn't sure if his cooking had improved, but his theoretical knowledge had definitely grown.

Simply put, he might not be able to cook it himself, but he could taste what was good and bad. His palate wasn't that sharp, but he wasn't trying to replicate the dish—he didn't need that level of taste sensitivity.

The boss had been pleased for a moment when he noticed Shen Dongqing hadn't mentioned any food safety issues, but after hearing the full evaluation, he couldn't be happy at all.

"What about the ingredients?" The boss couldn't help asking.

"Your meat is good—should be freshly slaughtered pork." Shen Dongqing said, picking up his chopsticks for another taste, pushing aside some of the thicker batter, and finding it acceptable with the sauce.

To the boss's ears, that meant: the ingredients are good, but your cooking is holding them back.

Looking at Shen Dongqing picking through the dish, the boss flushed red with embarrassment, picked up the guobaorou from in front of Shen Dongqing, and tossed out a parting remark.

"This dish isn't cutting it, Mr. Shen. Give me a moment, I'll make another one."

Seeing the dish he'd only taken two bites of being carried away by the chef, Shen Dongqing was taken aback. Did his two comments really bruise the chef's ego that badly?

"Doesn't your boss care that the chef acts like this?" Although the dish was a bit lacking, the cost of the meat wasn't low, and pork prices were pretty high lately. If the chef's got that big an ego, the boss is gonna bleed money.

"He's the boss too," the staff member explained.

Shen Dongqing got it now. When the boss came out later, he set a fresh plate of Guobao Rou in front of him, real careful.

Shen Dongqing took a bite and his eyes lit up. He'd figured the chef was just being picky at first, but now he realized this wasn't stubbornness—it was a high standard for his own cooking.

Now that's how a chef should be!

"Crispy on the outside, tender pork tenderloin inside, and the sauce is perfectly balanced. You've got real skill and a good eye, chef," Shen Dongqing praised.

"So, anything else you're not happy with?" the boss asked seriously.

"If I tell you, you're not gonna snatch my dish away again, right?" Shen Dongqing started to speak, then suddenly thought of something and asked.

The boss turned red, realizing he'd been a little hasty earlier, and shook his head repeatedly.

Seeing that, Shen Dongqing mulled it over and gave a few more pointers. If he gave the chef some tips now, he'd be the one reaping the benefits later, so he figured he might as well say his piece.

The more the boss listened, the more locked in he got, dying to run back to the kitchen and test it out. But once Shen Dongqing went back to eating, he didn't dare bother him again and returned to the kitchen to ponder the dishes.

When Shen Dongqing went to settle the bill, the boss flat-out refused, saying Shen Dongqing had given him priceless advice, so he couldn't take his money.

The boss was so insistent that Shen Dongqing had no choice but to give in—though only for this one time. Next time he came to eat, he was still paying.

"You... you're really coming back?" the boss said, all excited.

Even though Shen Dongqing didn't look like a chef at all, their group chat had figured he might be a top-tier chef or a food critic. Otherwise, how would he know so much about ingredients and all the insider stuff only pros would catch?

After Shen Dongqing ate at his place, the boss was convinced he'd studied under some master chef and was a hell of a cook himself. Otherwise, a couple of tips wouldn't have taken his cooking to a whole other level.

Getting someone like that to eat at his place once was already a lucky break, but for him to come back? Then he could receive even more guidance in the future.

"As long as you cook good food and use good ingredients, I'll come whenever I'm in the mood," Shen Dongqing said. He wasn't trying to put the fear in the boss—those two conditions were just his bare minimum for stepping into a joint.

"Don't worry, I'll keep a tight grip on ingredient safety and cook right," the boss promised, walking Shen Dongqing all the way to the door.

After seeing Shen Dongqing out, the boss scrolled through the group chat, seeing everyone whining about rising costs, and couldn't help but shake his head. These folks only saw how tough Shen Dongqing was, not the good in him.

But he wasn't gonna say a word about it. If he did, every chef in town would be fighting to get Shen Dongqing in their place.

...

Shen Dongqing had no clue he'd become the boss's golden goose. He called the driving school first, shot the breeze for a bit, then grabbed a cab to go scope it out.

When he pulled up to the driving school, a middle-aged guy was already standing out front. The guy spotted him and asked, "You Mr. Shen?"

Shen Dongqing nodded, and the man smiled warmly, giving him a tour of the place.

The school was pretty big, and there weren't a ton of people practicing, but since it wasn't peak season for getting a license, that crowd was a good sign it was popular. Shen Dongqing took a quick look around, liked what he saw—decent setup, friendly instructors—and didn't bother checking out any other schools. He just signed up on the spot and headed to the nearby hospital for the physical.

The physical was fast, and once he cleared it, he signed the contract and paid up.

Seeing Shen Dongqing pay without a second thought, Chen Jian warmed up to him even more, telling him to get his Theory Test One hours in. Once he'd clocked enough hours and passed the test, he could come in and practice.

While they were talking, a car rolled in from outside, and a young woman got out looking grim.

"What's wrong?" someone who knew her asked.

"Don't even get me started. I was about to pass, and some car cut me off. I panicked and failed again," the woman said dejectedly. She'd already taken it a bunch of times, dropped a ton on retake fees, and still couldn't pass.

"Man, that's rough. Guess you'll have to try again next time," her friend consoled.

"It's all good, that was a fluke. You'll nail it next time," the instructor said, getting out of the car and comforting her too. "It's that car's fault. Probably saw you were on a test and messed with you on purpose. Some students have had the same thing happen. It ain't on you."

"Wait, that's a thing?" The friend was shocked and a little nervous. "I'm taking my test soon too. I'm not gonna run into some jerk like that, am I?"

The woman was still bummed, but hearing that, she started worrying for her friend too. Running into someone like that could really mess up a test.

"Who does that crap, just messing with people for no reason?" the friend cursed.

"Nothing you can do about it. Just be careful when you take yours and keep your eyes peeled," the instructor chimed in.

The friend nodded, but even so, knowing such things could happen, she clearly couldn't relax.

Cars kept pulling in, some people smiling, others frowning—clearly those who hadn't passed.

Seeing Shen Dongqing watching the other students, Chen Jian figured he was stressing about the same thing and reassured him, "Our school has no extra fees. Besides your retake fee, no matter how many times you fail, it's fine—just takes a bit of time. Don't worry."

Shen Dongqing nodded. He was confident in his driving skills and wasn't too concerned, but the instructor's care did make him feel grateful.

"What's this? You're my student, so I'm your teacher. Isn't it normal for a teacher to care about a student?" Chen Jian said with a smile, walking Shen Dongqing out of the school and reminding him to study hard and come practice as soon as he passed Theory Test One.

...

Back home, Shen Dongqing watched Theory Test One videos while finishing up the photos he hadn't looked at yet. Once he was done, he called Xiao Ze.

"I had some things to deal with the past few days, so I got behind on the study materials," Shen Dongqing explained, worried Xiao Ze might misunderstand.

"I know about that. You were working part-time at the market supervision bureau. I heard the leadership there wanted to keep you, but you weren't interested," Xiao Ze said.

Xiao Ze then started quizzing Shen Dongqing. The study material photos Shen Dongqing had received were just a fraction of what Xiao Ze had collected. He had more photos on hand that he could use as test questions.

A photo would appear in front of Shen Dongqing for three seconds and then vanish, and he had to identify who was in it.

The difficulty was high, but after a few mistakes, Shen Dongqing caught up. Xiao Ze kept raising the bar, and Shen Dongqing's thinking time lengthened and then shortened, leaving Xiao Ze impressed.

"Have you ever thought about becoming a police officer?" After finishing the quiz, Xiao Ze sent Shen Dongqing the follow-up study materials and hesitated before asking.

Shen Dongqing had great talent. If he became a police officer, he'd excel in the field.

And if he were a cop, Shen Dongqing's strange luck wouldn't be a danger—it would be an asset.

Shen Dongqing hadn't expected Xiao Ze to ask that. He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

"No. The requirements for being a cop are too high. I prefer my freedom."

Shen Dongqing thought Xiao Ze would press further, but he didn't say anything more—just told Shen Dongqing to add Du Wei and the others as friends and save their numbers, so he could reach out if he had any issues.

"Wouldn't that be too much of a bother?" Shen Dongqing hesitated. He was familiar with Xiao Ze, but Du Wei and the others were Xiao Ze's colleagues and friends, not people he knew well. Contacting them felt a bit presumptuous.

"They'd be thrilled if you reached out," Xiao Ze said. "That potato and beef brisket stew you made last time—I brought it to the office and shared it with them. Now whenever they eat meat dishes, they bring up your cooking. They've just been too shy to contact you. If you need any help, just ask them directly."

Shen Dongqing agreed, added them all as friends one by one, and found they accepted almost instantly.

"You guys aren't still pulling overtime, are you?" Shen Dongqing checked the time—it was already ten at night. If they'd all gone home to rest, they wouldn't have all come online at the same time. The fact that they did could only mean they were still together.

"We just took a quick break, or I wouldn't have had time to text you." Xiao Ze explained, though he didn't deny the overtime.

Shen Dongqing didn't ask what case they were on—what else would a detective be working?

"Alright, I'll let you go. Get some rest." Shen Dongqing noticed Xiao Ze's voice sounded a little raspy, so he didn't drag it out and hung up.

Speaking of raspy voices, Shen Dongqing recorded himself talking and found his voice was a bit scratchy too—probably from talking too much these past few days.

Shen Dongqing opened the system mall and browsed through various foods. He used to wonder where the system got such fresh stuff, but now he figured some ingredients might come from other system hosts, which would explain why they tasted so good.

As for the higher prices, Shen Dongqing glanced at his Fame Points, which kept climbing, and didn't sweat the cost.

It's not like he'd eat like this every day—splurging once in a while for a taste wasn't a big deal. No need to be so hard on himself.

Shen Dongqing didn't realize he was slowly starting to enjoy life in this world, gradually fitting right in.

There was a ton of study material, and his computer was downloading it slowly, so Shen Dongqing didn't bother waiting and went straight to bed.

The next morning, Shen Dongqing checked the beef prices in the system mall, did some quick math, and silently apologized to his past self.

Sorry, he'd been way too optimistic. Beef was crazy expensive—no matter how good the system mall's stuff was, he couldn't afford it. He'd just buy it outside instead.

Before, he'd held back on buying a lot of meat because he wasn't sure he could pick good cuts. If the meat turned out bad, buying in bulk would be a total waste. But now...

Shen Dongqing headed straight to the market, grabbed dozens of pounds of beef, and also picked up some seasonings for the jerky. He planned to make some jerky—Xiao Ze's mention of it yesterday had gotten him craving it as well.

He'd first thought about cooking some dishes and freezing them, but frozen food lost a lot of its flavor. After mulling it over, he figured jerky was the better call—he could grab a handful anytime, and it could double as a little gift for his fans.

This was an idea Shen Dongqing had been kicking around for a while. His streams were a bit too laid-back, and he owed his fans' patience for that.

He just hadn't figured out what would make a good gift. But now, jerky made by Master Chef himself would be perfect. He could also stream the process, so fans could learn and make it themselves whenever they got a craving.

After all that shopping, Shen Dongqing also looked for snow pears, but the market didn't have any, and the supermarket ones weren't great. He gave up on that and just grabbed some rock sugar instead.

Dozens of pounds of beef were no joke. Shen Dongqing lugged the meat upstairs, feeling the weight drag on him, when a man suddenly came down from above, muttering curses.

The guy was thin, with a buzz cut and a shifty look that instantly rubbed people the wrong way.

He glanced at Shen Dongqing, his face sour at first, but then caught the smell of blood coming from the bag. He paused mid-step, moved aside, and let Shen Dongqing pass.

Shen Dongqing gave him a quick look, said nothing, and headed straight up to his door, letting himself in.

But the second he was inside, Shen Dongqing pressed his eye to the peephole and watched. The guy was still standing there, not moving, as if deciding what to do.

After a bit, the guy finally headed downstairs.

Shen Dongqing memorized the guy's face and decided to keep an eye on him from now on.

Still, he wasn't too worried about the guy—he was short and scrawny. Unless he caught Shen Dongqing off guard with a weapon, Shen Dongqing could easily take him.

But since the landlord was just a mother and daughter living there, Shen Dongqing sent a warning message to the landlord, describing the guy's looks so she could stay alert.

After sending the message, Shen Dongqing put it out of his mind and turned to the beef he'd brought back. Taking a deep breath, he got right to work.

Dozens of pounds of beef still needed cutting into smaller pieces, and by the time he was done, Shen Dongqing's hands were shaking.

Even with the best technique, his stamina had its limits. By the end, he was running on pure willpower to finish the cutting.

He marinated the beef in a big bucket, and once it was all packed in, Shen Dongqing let out a long breath and slumped into a chair to rest.

He'd thought about making the rock sugar snow pear right after the beef, but for now, he needed to rest.